The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James

I read the book The figure in the Carpet by Henry James. In the story the narrator wrote a review on a famous book by an author, named Vereker. The narrator gets the chance to meet him and show him his work with the help of a female friend of his. However, the author is not at all impressed by it, but rather says that he has missed the "point" of his book. The narrator tries everything in order to properly "understand" the work, but he can't seem to solve the puzzle. He tells his friend, named Corvick of what has happened. However, Corvick doesn't manage to understand the secret, neither does his fiancée. There are only three people who manage to find out what the mystery meaning is - Vereker, Covington and Gwendolen), but they refuse to tell the others and before they get the chance to share their knowledge, they each die one after the other. They pass away just when the narrator thinks that they are going to tell them the secret, which adds tension and intensifies the curiosity of the reader. They call the secret "the figure in the carpet", which is what the title is.

I really liked the book as there are a lot of things happening quickly. There is a certain mystery, which makes the reader want to continue reading in order to solve the puzzle. We never know whether the claims of each of the characters are true or they are just pretending. The fact that they all die also makes the book a thriller. However, it is quite disappointing or rather annoying that we weren't told what "the figure in the carpet" was at the end of the book.